More than 40 years after Israel took control over eastern Jerusalem (and five days ahead of the U.S.-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis), the capital’s municipality announced its new plan for the development of its eastern neighborhoods.
With an estimated budget of $50 million the plan is supposed to change the face of eastern Jerusalem, which until now has been largely neglected.
Among the main elements of the program will be the development of eastern Jerusalem’s main business center through the encouragement of tourism, cultural activities, education, commerce and housing projects. Infrastructure will be upgraded, public gardens created and streetlights erected.
Sounds good? Not to all.
It seems there are many skeptics around, including intellectuals, members of the opposition in the Jerusalem municipality, and people in the street. Some question the timing of the announcement; some say it is simply a gimmick that will never be implemented.
The Marshall Plan
The municipality decided to name its program "The Marshall Plan." By that it undoubtedly intended to highlight its vision to improve the economic status of eastern Jerusalem. But looking back at the original Marshall Plan, one might get a slightly different view.
On June 5, 1947 U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall spoke at Harvard University and outlined what would become known as the Marshall Plan. Europe had just come out of a devastating war, barely surviving one of the worst winters in history. By 1953 the United States had pumped $13 billion into the continent. The money, however, was used to buy goods from the United States, which had to be shipped across the Atlantic on American merchant vessels. No doubt, America’s economy also benefited considerably from the plan.
As a result of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. gained much economic – and more so, political and ideological – influence over Western Europe in the Cold War.
On June 5, 1967, exactly 20 years after the Marshall Plan was announced, the Six Day War between Israel and the surrounding Arab countries began. During the war Israel gained control over eastern Jerusalem and united it with the city’s western part.
The Marshall Plan reflected the American desire not to give the Soviet Union an opportunity to influence and control Western Europe.
Five days ahead of the Annapolis conference, was the Jerusalem municipality – backed by the Israeli government – trying to do the same with Jerusalem? Are the Palestinians – in Israel’s eyes – playing the role of the Soviets? Is eastern Jerusalem becoming the Cold War’s West Berlin?
One of the core issues to be dealt with in the aftermath of the Annapolis conference will no doubt be the status of Jerusalem. Some three months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s deputy and close ally, Haim Ramon, revealed his vision to divide Jerusalem – giving its eastern parts to the future Palestinian state, and keeping its western parts for Israel. His plan was considered by many observers as Olmert’s trial balloon, which failed to gain support. Ramon was therefore distanced from the negotiation arena and his plan was silenced as Olmert was campaigning to lower expectations from the Annapolis summit.
Mayor Lupolianski: Jerusalem Will Stay United Forever
Revealing the development plan on November 21, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski’s speech began with the following words:
"People these days are too busy talking about Jerusalem, but we in the municipality are busy working. In the last year intensive work has been done by the municipality’s teams to strengthen the Jerusalem metropolis and to effectively turn it into a strong, united city."
After his speech, Lupolianski told The Media Line that, "issues, raised primarily by Mr. Ramon did not represent the prime minister’s views."
Lupolianski added:
"I have no doubt in my mind that the Israeli government – which, as I said earlier, was involved in the plans we presented here – is going to preserve Jerusalem, the capital of Israel and of the Jewish people, whole and united."
"Not Coincidental"
Sam’an Khoury is a strong supporter of the Annapolis conference, and believes any investment in eastern Jerusalem is "long overdue."
Khoury is the general manager of the Peace and Democracy Forum, a Palestinian non-governmental organization based in eastern Jerusalem. Despite his support for both the peace conference and any future plan to invest in eastern Jerusalem, Khoury has his doubts.
"I doubt that [the timing] is that much coincidental," Khoury says.
According to Khoury, the timing of the municipality’s announcement is related to internal Israeli politics, in which Mayor Lupolianski himself is involved.
"Some Israeli political echelons are trying to have the hands of the government tied… and Lupolianski, who is also representing these political echelons, is doing the same," says Khoury.
An Election Economy
Leading the opposition in the municipality of Jerusalem, City Council member Nir Barkat, relates the timing of the announcement to something else completely – the municipal elections which are scheduled for November 2008.
"For four-and-a-half years nothing has been done by the Jerusalem municipality and the mayor, so I have only one question: Is this a gimmick?
"It is the first time I hear about this plan; there is no affirmation from the government for this. We will have to wait and see if this is just another spin, or if this is real.
"I have not heard about any new budgets that have been approved by either the municipality or the government," Barkat says.
Jerusalem City Engineer Shlomo Eshkol rejects all timing-related claims. Eshkol, who was appointed to his position only three months ago, is well aware of the political aspects of his position.
"Jerusalem is in the international and Israeli limelight on a daily basis. Whenever you present a plan, it can be attached to one political event or another. Certainly I, as the city engineer, deal with issues which have geo-political ramifications. But we are not influencing, or influenced, by these actions or others. The planning [of the Marshall Plan] was not begun today."
Eshkol further confirmed that some of the budget had already been approved by the municipality and other parts of it were approved by various government ministries, including the ministries of tourism, infrastructures, education, housing and the Prime Minister’s Office. He said the plan would be submitted for final approval by the regional building committee in February 2008.
"We Are Not Stupid"
Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem reacted with skepticism to the Marshall Plan.
“I don’t believe that they are going to develop the Arab areas here. I think such news is only for media consumption, no more,” says 35-year-old Zaid Sharabaty.
Ahmad Alian, a merchant from eastern Jerusalem, says the project might generate business, but he is full of resentment toward Israel’s past conduct.
“The economic situation that we are facing now is a direct result of the Israeli policies that surrounded the city with walls and checkpoints and separated it from the rest of the Palestinian areas in the West Bank," Alian says.
Glancing at the press release issued by the municipality, Ahmad Abu Halaweeh, 45, cannot hide his disbelief.
"Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem are not stupid,” he says. “Why did the municipality declare this project now, only days before the conference in America takes place? I think this project is a message to anticipate the outcomes of the meeting there.”